Wilmington committee hears demand for external audit, body‑camera release after shooting

Councilwoman Shanae Darby, chair of the intergovernmental committee, opened a July 13 meeting focused on police reform and public comment and urged the city to press for transparency following the June shooting of 19‑year‑old Kadir Skinner. “Justice for Kadir Skinner: release the body cam footage,” Darby said, repeating an appeal she and several speakers raised during the session.

The committee heard two presentations urging independent review and better public data. Carlton T. Mayors, an attorney with Mayors Strategic Solutions LLC, described a community‑centered CAP method (Community Empowerment, Accountability, Transparency) that uses listening sessions and interactive anonymous technology to collect neighborhood‑level information and produce exportable results for policy design. “The people closest to the problems are also the people closest to the solutions,” Mayors said, outlining listening‑session and assessment steps he proposed for Wilmington.

Samuel Sinyangwe, founder of the Police Scorecard platform, presented national data that place Wilmington at about a 33% score on a multi‑indicator ranking. He told the committee Wilmington spends relatively more per resident on policing, has higher misconduct settlement and fines compared with similar cities, and faces racial disparities in arrests and outcomes. Sinyangwe said his team sought Wilmington Police Department records on nonfatal use of force but was denied, limiting the ability to compare nonfatal use‑of‑force data. “When it comes to nonfatal force… that whole bucket of data is not available to the public,” he said.

Local advocates expanded on those findings and pressed elected officials to act. Rob Vanilla, facilitator for Neighbors Organized for Credibility and Accountability in Policing (NOCAP), summarized a package of reforms and documentation the group plans to provide to council and asked the council to embrace an urgent, moral imperative to change policing practices.

Public commenters — including residents, faith leaders, physicians and advocacy groups — demanded immediate action, with repeated calls for (1) full, unedited release of body‑camera footage connected to Skinner’s death, (2) an independent external audit selected through a transparent process (respondents recommended a competitive request for proposals), (3) stronger civilian oversight with subpoena power, and (4) reallocating some police funding to alternative crisis and social services. Gene Mesick read a coalition letter signed by multiple groups that urged implementation of the external audit and “immediately release all body camera footage related to the murder of Kadir Skinner to the family and the public.”

Medical and systems concerns also featured in comments. Dr. Marsha Lee McCall, a family medicine physician, urged the council to ensure any audit examine timelines for emergency medical care and whether established protocols were followed after a shooting. Multiple speakers cited the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (LEOBOR) as a state‑level constraint that limits local accountability and called on council to press state lawmakers to restore subpoena and investigative authorities.

Council members who attended responded that they would follow up. Councilmember Kobe Owens called for automatic independent investigations of officer‑involved shootings and reiterated prior council asks for timely public release of body‑worn camera footage (he said council had previously requested a 15‑day release window), while Council President Congo and others urged residents to press state candidates on LEOBOR during the September elections. Chair Darby said councilmembers could begin drafting legislation during the council break and press the administration to fund the audit.

No formal vote was taken on an audit, ordinance or budget amendment during the meeting. The committee adjourned after a motion to adjourn was made and carried. The most immediate next steps recorded on the record were council commitments to press for transparency and to draft and pursue reforms while the body is on break.